Two 19th-Century Masterpieces Travel to New Britain in Celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary

In the lead-up to the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026, a special art initiative is bringing historic treasures to regional audiences. The New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut has been selected to host two significant 19th-century works from the National Gallery of Art: Fruit Still Life by Robert Seldon Duncanson and East Hampton Beach, Long Island by Winslow Homer. The initiative, titled Across the Nation: Art for the American 250th, reflects a growing effort to decentralize access to major national artworks.

Duncanson’s still life is a rare example of African American excellence in a genre often overlooked in historical narratives. Known primarily for his romantic landscapes, Duncanson was one of the first Black artists to achieve international acclaim. This particular painting, created around 1849, features a lush, meticulously rendered arrangement of fruit—a quiet yet radical assertion of beauty and technical mastery at a time when opportunities for Black artists were severely limited.

Displayed alongside a Duncanson landscape already in New Britain’s collection, the still life deepens the narrative of his versatility and cultural significance. For museumgoers, it’s a rare chance to see two sides of an artist who was navigating both aesthetic ideals and racial boundaries in 19th-century America.

Winslow Homer’s East Hampton Beach offers a contrasting but equally resonant perspective. Painted in 1874, the work captures a quiet stretch of shoreline, bathed in muted light and inhabited by solitary female figures. The painting is more than a picturesque seascape—it’s a subtle meditation on changing gender roles in post-Civil War America. In Homer’s hand, women are not mere ornaments of nature; they are independent presences, shaped by their environment yet distinct within it.

To complement the loan, the New Britain Museum is organizing a contextual exhibition, incorporating works like Homer’s own Butterflies and various woodcut illustrations he produced for Harper’s Weekly. Together, these works trace evolving depictions of women’s leisure, mobility, and autonomy during a period of social transformation.

This initiative also emphasizes the role of regional museums in shaping cultural memory. By housing these paintings outside of Washington, D.C., the project underscores the idea that art history is not the sole property of major urban centers. It belongs in local communities, where its impact can be more intimate, personal, and profound.

Across the Nation will continue into 2026 with rotating exhibitions at other museums. For now, New Britain becomes a vital node in a broader national conversation—one that uses art not only to reflect on the past, but to shape how we see the future.